Comet Trail: steer a glowing comet and never touch your own tail

Comet Trail is a fast arcade game on a square grid. You control a glowing comet that is always moving forward. Steer it toward the golden star orbs. Each orb you collect adds ten points and makes your tail one segment longer, and the comet gradually gets quicker as you grow.

The run ends if the comet hits the edge of the arena or crosses its own tail. Fill the entire board and you win with a perfect run. The first direction you press starts the game, so you are never rushed before you are ready.

Every star orb is worth ten points. Your speed rises by a few milliseconds per step with each orb, down to a fixed maximum speed, so long runs stay exciting without becoming impossible.

• One star for eating 5 orbs, two stars for 15 orbs and three stars for 30 orbs.
• Reach a tail that has eaten 25 orbs or more to unlock the long tail achievement.
• Your best score is stored on this device, and stars and XP are added to your profile after every run.

Choose Daily challenge and every player starts with the same first star orb and the same random draws that day, which makes scores genuinely comparable. Finish the daily run on consecutive days to build your streak. Free play starts from a new random seed each time.

After a crash you can copy a friend challenge link. It carries your seed and score, so a friend plays from the same seed and can see whether they beat you. Everything is saved locally in your browser, with no sign-up.

• Keyboard: arrow keys or W, A, S, D change direction. Reversing straight into your tail is ignored.
• Touch: swipe on the play area, or use the on-screen arrow buttons that appear on touch devices.
• Press Space or P, or use the Pause button, to freeze the game. Restart begins a new run.
• The game also pauses if you leave the tab.

• Plan two moves ahead. Up to two turns are queued, so you can tap two directions quickly for a tight corner.
• Stay off the walls early on. Looping through the middle gives you room to escape later.
• Once your tail is long, sweep the board in wide lanes like mowing a lawn, leaving no pockets you cannot leave.
• Do not chase an orb into a dead end. The orb never moves, so patience costs you nothing.
• Use a short pause to rest your hands and think through the next route.